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Is talk about climate change good for ag research?

Even though some AgProfessional readers don’t like global warming or climate change ever mentioned. More and more publicity about the possibility of climate change is being generated and read by the general population. It still seems prudent to provide our business to business readers with the messages that are being written to influence voters, governments and policy makers around the world.

For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued research that indicates climate change could reduce world food production by 2 percent per decade through 2100. The IPCC was established in the late 1980s by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Then there is the report: Feeding the Planet in a Warming World, a report by The London School of Economics and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF).

“The report argues that we must focus on advancing research and development in plant and animal genetics and new agricultural practices to address the global food shortages that will be caused by climate change. The authors recommend policy reforms designed to dramatically increase government investment in agricultural research, development and deployment, while also transforming the regulatory framework for and increasing the use of genetically modified (GM) foods,” as noted by William Dube, IFNF communications director for the Washington, D.C., organization.

“Climate change is a fact, and we need to focus public policy on adaptation strategies that can mitigate the impacts on systems such as agriculture,” said Matthew Stepp, senior policy analyst with ITIF and co-author of the report.

Those who are proponents of biotechnology should take some pleasure that if weather change is occurring then biotechnology is a solution to keep agricultural production high and increasing. And does talk about climate change actually turn into a good thing for agricultural research funding, too?